Walid Siti: The art of upheaval

Kurdish-Iraqi artist Walid Siti’s life has been plagued by war, exile and tribulations, but all this has failed to dampen his buoyant spirit.

Kurdish-Iraqi [2]artist Walid Siti’s life has been plagued by war, exile and tribulations, all this has failed to dampen his buoyant spirit. On the contrary, his history has inspired Siti to represent a mature vision in his art, his work portrays the in-depth meditation that comes with a life of upheaval. “I trudge relentlessly in my journey though I am not sure of its destination. That is the way I grew up in childhood,” he said. Born in 1954 in the small city of Dahuk[3], Walid found his way to the Baghdad [4]academy of fine arts in the 1970’s, from here the nomadic artist set off for the northern part of Yugoslavia and finally settled in London, the incubator of art and the home of his ultimate inspiration; the river Thames. “Despite making me feel like a stranger, London put me at ease as it provided me with the tools which enabled me to embark on my experiment,” explains Walid. His love for the British capital is evident. “London [5]is a great cultural hub, and any artist could establish his experience from the inspirations of the city. This is the way I started until many doors opened for me,” he said. With regards to his work, stones and acrylic materials are the hallmarks of Walid’s projects, which usually take up large spaces. “A stone has significant symbolic connotations just like construction stones, Kaaba stone and such,” he said. To read more and view Walid Siti’s art please follow the link: http://enawafeth.alarabiya.net/content/stones-and-acrylic-are-hallmarks-walid%E2%80%99s-project [6]